News of: Sunday, 23rd of May, 2010

Front Page

Major Probe Findings * None of the 90 fire hoses inspected in 6 buildings were connected to water reservoirs. * No pump and dedicated generator to draw water from the tanks.* Emergency exits 11 inches narrower than the width required by law. * Fire doors made of wood instead of mandated fire-resistant materials.* Date-expired fire extinguishers.

An Air India Express passenger plane from Dubai crashed outside an airport in southern India yesterday, killing 158 people when it burst into flames after overshooting a tabletop runway and plunging into forest below.

Mainstream opposition BNP yesterday challenged the State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam to prove that late president Ziaur Rahman, the founder of BNP, was a spy of Pakistan during the Liberation War in 1971.

Both the main mayoral candidates backed by the ruling Awami League and main opposition BNP are in contact with veterans and politically influential people as formal campaign is not allowed till allocation of the poll symbols billed for June 02.

People affected by natural disasters in coastal and char areas urged the developed world to cut carbon emissions and give financial compensations at a discussion on climate impact in the capital yesterday.

Lack of coordination among ruling Awami League lawmakers, leaders and workers in many districts across the country is affecting party activities, organising secretaries of the party said in their reports submitted to AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last night.

Teachers and students of Baroicha College in Narsingdi barricaded the Dhaka-Sylhet highway for two hours yesterday morning demanding inclusion of their institution in the latest list of Monthly Payment Order (MPO).

Editorial

THE agreement between Bangladesh and the Russian Federation on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy is certainly a milestone in the history of Dhaka-Moscow relations. The five-year deal comes at a time when Bangladesh happens to be going through a severe crisis in the power sector. Obviously, this deal will go a considerable way in reducing our critical dependence on gas-fuelled electricity. Considering the difficulties Bangladesh has been passing through in the power sector for years together, the deal is a bold and feasible step that promises dividends in our energy sector. Given that nuclear cooperation with Moscow is not a new phenomenon in our part of the world (one recalls the deal reached by the former Soviet Union and the then Pakistan in 1960), the Dhaka-Moscow agreement surely introduces a new dimension to bilateral cooperation in our part of the world. For Dhaka, it signifies a new direction in energy policy prioritization and diversification.

THIS is a long overdue piece of admonishment that had to be sounded to the government-controlled electronic media the BTV which is financed by public money to serve public interest. And that it has come from none other than chief of the parliamentary standing committee on information ministry Obaidul Quader makes the censure authentic and appropriate on the interpretation of the information ministry's role as well as that of BTV authorities which have been rightly put under the legislative microscope. BTV newscasts are for the most part made up of longwinded speeches of government party leaders in a monotonous and predictable refrain.

Organisers of French Open, season's second Grand Slam event that starts here today, revealed on Saturday they are considering two options to increase the tournament's capacity: expanding Roland Garros or moving to one of three potential new sites.

For the first time in 16 years, the tournament returned to South America, and not without a little controversy. Argentina was governed by a military junta that had come to power in bloody fashion and was known to deal with its critics through torture and imprisonment. This political situation had led many countries to consider boycotting Argentina for its human rights abuses but diplomacy on the part of the junta meant that, eventually, every qualifier lined up.

Portugal cap-tain Cristiano Ronaldo warned on Friday that he was not a miracle wor-ker and that it would take more than two or three good players to make his team one of the favourites for the World Cup.

Floodlit day-night Test cricket receded further into the distance on Friday when the International Cricket Council (ICC) said at least 18 months' research needed to be done on different coloured balls.

Business

Bangladesh Bank (BB) is concerned with the continuous decline of the euro, as nearly 15 percent of the central bank's $10 billion foreign exchange reserve is invested in the tumbling European currency, BB officials said.

The investment scenario remains gloomy in Bangladesh because the energy sector is yet to get any major investment, analysts say. But the government's recent initiatives for mitigating the energy crisis in a couple of years could be a way forward.

Top American drug maker Abbott Laboratories will buy out leading Indian formulation business of Piramal Healthcare for $3.7 billion in the second major acquisition of an Indian pharmaceutical company in two years.

A 12-member delegation of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) left Dhaka yesterday for Latin American countries to explore the potential of Bangladesh's apparel products there.

A parliamentary body has asked the government to offer tax- and duty-free benefits to all solar accessories in the next budget to encourage faster expansion of green energy, its chairman said at a discussion in Dhaka yesterday.

The biggest drop in more than a year on Wall Street triggered fresh turmoil in Asian markets Friday, amid heightened anxiety over the eurozone debt crisis and doubts over the strength of the US economy.

May 9-13, 2010International Markets This week marked another tumultuous week for the major currencies especially the EUR. The euro fell in volatile trade on Thursday, staying vulnerable on concerns other European countries may announce regulations similar to Germany's ban on naked short selling of some assets. Higher-yielding currencies such as the Australian dollar were under heavy selling pressure as concern over policymakers' response to the euro zone debt crisis fueled risk aversion, leading to liquidation of long positions. The dollar got a safe haven bid against most currencies but extended losses against the yen after data showed the number of US workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose last week for the first time since early April. The euro stayed above a four-year low hit on Wednesday in response to the German ban, but traders remained nervous similar moves may follow, while broader concerns about euro zone debt problems further weighed on sentiment. Traders also said fears other European countries may follow Germany's lead and implement short selling bans pushed European shares into negative territory and exacerbated the falls in the euro and perceived riskier currencies. The euro recovered from four-year lows on Wednesday as traders covered short positions on speculation European monetary officials might act to check its rapid fall, though for now market players see intervention unlikely. Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said on Thursday he did not see a need to take immediate action to halt the euro's decline. This was echoed by European Union Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia who said there was no need to intervene.

China is considering its first immigration law following a surge in the number of foreigners seeking to take advantage of the booming economy in the world's most populous nation, state press said Saturday.

The Appellate Division is likely to hold hearing today on an appeal filed by the Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC) against the High Court (HC) verdict that scrapped the 13-year jail sentence against Awami League lawmaker Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir in a corruption case

The government should formulate an effective policy to ensure rights of the domestic workers and put an end to all forms of discrimination against them, speakers said at a view exchange meeting yesterday.

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam yesterday said up to Tk 75 crore might be allocated for research activities in universities under the Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP).

Inspector General of Police Nur Mohammad will hold a meeting with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officials today in the wake of controversy over the accused arrested in connection with Sub-Inspector Gautam Roy killing case.

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday cautioned that the country's sovereignty would be at stake if the government allows Indian soldiers to guard its High Commission (HC) in Dhaka.

National

Erosion by the rivers flowing through Kurigram and Netrakona districts has taken a serious turn as water levels of the rivers marked a sharp rise due to torrential rain in the last two days and onrush of water from hills across the borders.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) launched a special drive at Pangasha launch ghat in Bhola early yesterday and seized about one lakh litres of stolen diesel and 12 oil tankers and arrested eight members of an oil pilferage gang.

Letters

The environment of Bangladesh includes flora and fauna and their natural habitats. The greater part of the human inhabitants lives in or around big cities and this has helped to limit deforestation slightly. Nevertheless, the growth rate continues to amplify at an alarming rate and this has created huge demands on the environment and leads to destruction of several natural habitats. Despite the fact that quite a lot of areas are sheltered under law, a great segment of Bangladeshi wildlife is in jeopardy by this expansion.

With the mounting global warming and climate change, intensity of natural calamities in Bangladesh as well as other parts of the world is increasing. A number of strikes, in dissimilar form of cataclysm, are swiftly escalating each year. Earlier, after ten to fifteen years, we would face a large-scale flood or cyclone. But in recent years, both in quality and quantity, it has increased in our region. The preparation to cope with such calamities, right this year, should start with allocating a reasonable amount of money in the proposed national budget.

I moved to Bangkok a couple of weeks ago when the pro-Thaksin Red Shirts and the current Thai government seemed to be on the brink of reaching accord. In fact, I walked around amongst the protesters in their make-shift campsite in the centre of Bangkok's financial and shopping districts near the national stadium. The scene was tame; some of the tents had children playing computer games, women lounging around and men folk chatting amongst themselves. They had their own medical check-up stations, water supplies and a myriad of food stalls. The whole place had loudspeakers blaring live speakers from the centre stage only a few blocks away. The exit and entry points were barricaded with stack of tires, bamboo sticks, barbed wires and red cloths.

Politicians in our country expect everyone to act as per the law and ethics but think these do not apply to them. How can the nation tolerate MPs when they waste precious working hours by raising petty issues? There is urgent need to uphold the dignity and ethics of public life. Just as we have provisions for punishing erring employees, necessary rules should be framed to enable presiding officers to summarily dismiss members who misbehave and disturb the House. People should also have the right to recall their representative if they feel that he disturbs the functioning of the House unnecessarily. When workers strike work, the principle of "no work, no pay" is enforced. Will the Jatiya Sangsad embrace that policy and cut off the perks and other benefits extended to the MPs for their walkouts and abstention from the House?

I congratulate Rooshnara Ali for winning the Bethnal Green and Bow constituency seat for Labour. Her Muslim and Bengali background are irrelevant in this context as all the rival major contestants that she beat in this election were all Bengali Muslims. She won by 21784 votes against Mr Masroor of Liberal Democrat who got 10210 votes. The other major contestants were Mr A Miah of Respect who got 8532 votes and Mr Z Khan of Conservative who got 7071 votes.

Inflation refers to a rise in prices that causes the purchasing power of a nation to fall. It has, no doubt, become a great concern in our country. It has affected our economy to a great extent as well. Our economy is no longer so dynamic as it was in the past. Due to inflation, our economy is now going through a transitional period.

Eve teasing is a crime and it has attacked us like an octopus. In the last couple of months, a number of girls have sacrificed their lives due to intolerable teasing and they made us understand how helpless we are. Don't we feel that the situation is getting worse? Really, we have nothing to do about it. But I think, we have something to do. I do believe if we stand together, we can stop this.

The Awami League is immersed in conspiracy theory, whenever anything goes wrong they smell conspiracy in it. When in educational institutions untoward incidents happen, the Awami League declares that activists of the BNP have infiltrated the BCL and they are responsible for it. We have become tired of this sort of irresponsible remarks from the government.

The whole exercise of issuing 'Liquor Permit', by the Excise Department, is structured on lies, fraud and deceit! It seems that we officially issue the licences to prospective social and 'addicted' drinkers; largely Muslims, usually of the so-called 'high society' who indulge in this illegal vice to drink intoxicating liquor which is disallowed and prohibited in Islam! In a lighter vein, these licences can be compared to the fictitious James Bond the 007's, "licence to kill" issued by the MI5, of course it was un-written!

Thanks to the Rtv for showing the video footage of a meeting attended by a cross section of people who strongly believe in the early trial of the war criminals. It is perhaps necessary to immediately form a small follow-up committee to keep watch on the progress of the trial that began on March 26 2010, and to keep the people informed of the progress. This committee should also identify the barriers including the role of the individuals and the political party publicly opposing the trial, on one pretext or the other.

There is no denying that mobile has become an indispensable tool in this age of technology. Mobile has reached a major portion of the populace. But what is a matter of concern is that it has reached some people who should not have access to it. It is a self-destroying tool for the teen-agers who can't rein in its misuse.

Serenity is lost in this world of urbanisation. This planet is heading toward a severe catastrophe, as the climate is changing rapidly. Where are the friends of humans in this planet of machines and vehicles? Aren't we losing them gradually? Where are the trees? They're being cut down, as if the earth never needed them anyway.

Once upon a time I was very proud of being a member of the Chhatra League. I can still recall the day when I became a member of the CL in 1964. I was a student of class 5 in Dacca Collegiate School. I passed the golden days of my life at Dacca College as the cultural secretary of CL during the post liberation period. We had a motto and a vision, instead of tender manipulation and making money.

A strong move is on against the ship breaking industry to remove this market from Bangladesh to other countries. Some NGOs are trying to protect the rights of workers and save the environment from bad effects of ship breaking. We support them. But we can not lose the huge prospect in the name of serving workers and the environment. We have to be more flexible for this industry. More than 250,000 people are engaged in this sector directly or indirectly. Every year the government earns a good income from it. It saves a huge amount of foreign currency by reducing import of steel and raw material. It provides 80% of the iron used by the steel factories.

The BCL is the oldest student organisation in this sub-continent. It has a long and glorious history that gives this organisation an exclusivity. The BCL emerged in 1948 before the emergence of Bangladesh Awami League. In fact, most of the prominent politicians in the AL had a long involvement with the BCL. Their political school was BCL. It is so painful to hear that they feel shy with the present activities of the BCL. Some of them even said that the government was not responsible for its offensive activities. After the AL's coming to power, the BCL is becoming desperate.

The present govt got a huge mandate in the last general election on the theme of "Digitalisation". They have been working hard for the last one year. But they failed in the power sector, that is the prerequisite of digitalisation.

The increase in stalking and sexual harassment in our society is a threat to education and empowerment of women. The school-going girls in the rural areas are the worst victims of these heinous activities in our male-dominated society which can hardly be tolerated. Thousands of brilliant girls, being compelled, leave schools and colleges in the fear of stalking criminals who are used to teasing them on their way to school and college. Needless to mention, these types of news reports remain unpublished in the mass media except a few. These make poor parents anxious about their daughters. Sometimes they lose mental balance and even commit suicide. Who are responsible for their demise? Can we ignore our duty and responsibility? I strongly believe that lack of moral lesson and impact of satellite channels are mainly responsible for this. Moreover, teenage boys guided by animalism, the darkest side of human being, ignore the norms and other social values of society.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton passed out teddy bears to Chinese children as she toured the Shanghai World Expo yesterday and carefully skirted the United States' many policy disputes with China.

Pakistani authorities were yesterday caught on the wrong foot as an anti-terror court hearing the 26/11 case was told that Interpol was yet to be approached for a Red Corner notice for Ajmal Kasab, weeks after they claimed the matter had been taken up with the Paris-based agency.

Arts & Entertainment

The weeklong 3rd International French Drama Festival ended on May 21 through staging of the play “Drums on the Dam”. The Helene Cixous-- a feminist author and playwright-- theatrical on 10th century China was among seven plays by legendary French playwrights at the festival. Noted troupes from the town as well as troupes from different parts of the country staged the productions at the festival. Fame School of Drama (Chitagong) staged the play “Drums on the Dam”.

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan starrer box office hit "3 Idiots" is finding a newer niche audience. The film had a special screening at the United Nations recently followed by a discussion on the film's message concerning the education system.

Banglavision will air a documentary on two Nazrul exponents Sudhin Das and Sohrab Hossain, who have been important names in our music milieu from the 1950s. They have made a great contribution towards popularising Nazrul Sangeet among the music aficionados in our country.

Animesh Aich is one of the most successful directors and playwrights of our times. So what is the secret behind Animesh's wide recognition? What does it take for the perfect shot? Here is Animesh Aich's response to these questions and many more.

“…Ebong Kanna” and “Firey Esho Behula” represent two early initiatives at a time when digital filmmaking has been introduced in Bangladesh, says a press release. Overcoming several steep hurdles, the two movies are now getting final touches before screening. Introducing film songs to the audience before the film's release is a common practice these days. However, at every step of the way, both films have been so closely interlinked that the songs and a few sound tracks of the cinematic works are accommodated in a single CD.

This month DS Café will have actress Aupee Karim take your calls at The Daily Star office. Readers will have the opportunity to ask Aupee whatever they want to know. Call 8126155 on next Saturday, May 29, between 12 and 1 pm to speak to Aupee!!!

OP-ED

NO doubt we Bangalees sacrificed many lives, and even the honour of our womenfolk, for attaining a free, democratic and secular country. We must not, however, hesitate to admit that, though the vast majority of our people participated in the struggle, the majority of us were ignorant about the concept of democracy because of our low level of literacy, high level of poverty, and lack of religious teachings and dictates.

IT'S no coincidence that the first anniversary of the United Progressive Alliance's return to power should witness nationwide protests against its industrialisation policies, which are massively dispossessing vulnerable people.

Asia Energy proposed to extract about 10-15 million tons of coal from Phulbari Coal Field adopting open-pit mining method from a depth ranging from 250 to 300 metres by removing 4,400 million tons of overburden (rock, sand, mud, soil) covering an area of about 5.2 sq.km.

India is at war against formidable non-state actors. The Maoist movement in India is clearly getting stronger by the day and poses a serious threat to the stability of "the largest democracy in the world."

Today, Pentecost Sunday, Christians the world over celebrate one of the five great Christian festivals -- the Pentecost or Whitsun, Christmas, Good Friday, Resurrection, Ascension. Christmas commemorates the incarnation, Good Friday about Christ's death, Resurrection his coming back to life with a spiritual body, Ascension his going back to heaven and Pentecost of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the earliest disciples of Christ on the 50th day from the Resurrection.